Grilled Vegetables

Great Grilled Vegetables

Summer is grilling season. This year, think beyond the meat. In the time it takes to cook burgers or chicken breasts, you can have a tasty vegetable side dish ready as well.Megan Moore, R.D., L.D., CDE, a nutritionist at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano, says, “When you fill your plate with veggies, you won’t overeat on meat, bread, and processed foods like potato chips.”

Different vegetables come into season throughout the summer and fall, so choose what’s fresh and try something new.

Skewer cherry tomatoes, onion chunks, beets or red, yellow and green bell peppers. Brush them with Italian dressing and grill two to three minutes per side.

Dice onions, carrots, squash, zucchini and green beans and top with salt, pepper and a splash of olive oil. Wrap in single-serving-size foil packets and grill for three to four minutes on each side.

Peel the outer husks from corn on the cob, and remove the silks. Soak the corn in water for 15 minutes, then grill for about 15 minutes, turning every few minutes.

For a good-on-just-about-anything marinade, combine two parts olive oil to one part vinegar—balsamic and red and white wine vinegars are good choices. Add your favorite chopped fresh herbs.

For a tasty topping for grilled pork chops, fish or chicken breasts, Moore recommends this salsa.

Grilled Mango-Avocado Salsa

(4 servings)

1 mango

1 red onion

Olive oil cooking spray

1 small avocado

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat grill to medium-high heat.

Slice mango into four wedges and onion into thick slices.Spray with olive oil cooking spray.

Place mango and onion on grill rack; cover and grill three minutes on each side or until tender. Dice onion and mango. Combine onion, mango, diced avocado, mint, lime juice, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

Are your recipes—and your eating habits—ready for a nutrition makeover? For a referral to a dietitian at Baylor Plano, talk to your physician. To find a physician on the Baylor Plano medical staff, click here.